Thomas Heiniger at a biking charity event last year
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Thomas Heiniger has been elected president of the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) by the delegates of the Red Cross Assembly. He succeeds Annemarie Huber-Hotz, who has held the presidency since 2011.
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Heiniger, 62, is a “proven healthcare expert who is well connected in Switzerland and across borders”, the Bern-based SRC said in a statementExternal link on Saturday.
“I want to work with all my energy and heart for the SRC, the unique charity dedicated to more humanity in this world through the principles of its action, its long experience, the breadth of its work and being embedded in a global movement,” he said in his inaugural speech.
Heiniger was a lawyer before becoming a member of Zurich’s cantonal government and the cantonal director for health.
The Swiss Red Cross Group comprises 24 cantonal associations along with five rescue organisations, two institutions, and the SRC headquarters. The SRC is a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent MovementExternal link, which comprises the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and 190 national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
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